中 華 人 民 共 和 國 香 港 特 別 行 政 區 政 府 總 部 教 育 局

網址 : http://www.edb.gov.hk 電子郵件 : edbinfo@edb.gov.hk Web site : http://www.edb.gov.hk E-mail : edbinfo@edb.gov.hk

中 華 人 民 共 和 國 香 港 特 別 行 政 區 政 府 總 部 教 育 局

Government Secretariat, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region The People's Republic of China

本局檔號 Our Ref : EDB(SDCT)3/PRO/10/1/1 電話 Telephone :

來函檔號 Your Ref. : 傳真 Fax Line :

30 August 2021

To: Supervisors / Principals of All Secondary Schools, Primary Schools, Special Schools, Schools offering Non-Local Curriculum, Kindergartens and Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centres and Private Schools offering Non- Formal Curriculum

Dear Supervisor / Principal,

Testing Arrangements at Community Testing Centres for Teachers, School Staff or Persons with Medical CertificatesCertifying Health Conditions

Unfit for Vaccination and

Extension of “Vaccination Leave” Arrangements

As stipulated in the letter of 2 August 2021 titled “Face-to-Face Class Arrangements for Schools in Hong Kong in the 2021/22 School Year” issued by the Education Bureau (EDB), the EDB requires that starting from 1 September 2021, all teachers and school staff including those teaching and non-teaching staff directly employed by schools, persons who provide on-campus services, and persons who frequently visit school campuses¹ of the aforementioned schools must have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, or undergo regular COVID-19 tests and receive negative results. For the COVID-19 tests, specimens must be obtained from combined nasal and throat swabs, and not collected through self-testing kits. For individual teachers, school staff or persons who are unfit for vaccination because of medical conditions, they should undergo the aforementioned COVID-19 tests regularly. Unless an individual can produce a

1 Teaching staff include principals, teachers and teaching assistants. Non-teaching staff include school executive officers, assistant clerical officers/ clerical assistants, janitors, cooks, school bus drivers, school light bus drivers and escorts (commonly known as nannies), laboratory technicians, brailling staff, teacher assistants, workshop attendants, artisans, social workers, educational psychologists, speech therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, nurses, wardens, the related grades of boarding section staff such as social work officers, social work assistants, welfare workers. Persons providing on-campus services include, for example, group instructors. Persons who frequently visit school campuses include, for example, volunteers.

- 2 -

medical certificate² certifying that his/her health conditions do not allow him/her to receive vaccination, all regular COVID-19 tests must be arranged outside working hours and at his/her own expense.

Testing Arrangements at Community Testing Centres for Teachers, School Staff or related Persons with medical certificatescertifying health conditions unfit for vaccination

For individual teachers, school staff or persons with medical certificates certifying that their health conditions are unfit for vaccination and would like to take the virus testing at the Community Testing Centres (CTCs), the fees of the testing services will be waived. A teacher, school staff or concerned person should present the original copy of the relevant medical certificate³ and the duly completed “Community Testing Centres – Test Registration Form” at Annex with school chop stamped to CTCs. In addition, eligible teachers, school staff or persons are reminded that they MUST book the testing services in advance via the ‘Community Testing Centre – Booking System’

(www.communitytest.gov.hk/en/ ) in order to receive the free testing services at the CTCs. For those who have not booked in advance have to pay the fees of HK$240 per test.

The free testing services offered by the CTCs for the abovementioned teachers, school staff or persons will start from 31 August 2021 until further notice.

Each eligible teacher, school staff or person can receive free testing service at the CTCs once every 14 days. The above waiver is not applicable to teachers and school staff and persons of schools offering non-formal curriculum (commonly known as ‘tutorial schools’). Eligible teachers, school staff or persons shall retain and present the relevant Short Message Service (SMS) messages, laboratory testing reports or related proofs containing the test results to the schools for record.

Schools should keep the records of the negative test results of teachers, school staff or persons concerned.

Extension of “Vaccination Leave” Arrangements

The Civil Service Bureau has announced to extend the “vaccination leave”

arrangements for one month until 30 September 2021. In this connection, all staff of aided schools on active service paid under the Salaries Grant (including

2 Schools should only accept medical certificates namely “Medically Not Suitable for COVID-19 Vaccination”

issued by registered medical practitioners in Hong Kong, verifying that the teachers or school staff concerned are not suitable to receive all types of COVID-19 vaccines. Schools can refer to https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/cap599FG_forms.html for the template of a medical certificate.

3 Schools should remind the teachers, school staff and persons concerned to have the valid medical certificates ready before going to the CTCs. CTCs reserve the right of final decision to accept or decline the original copy of medical certificates submitted by the teachers, school staff or persons concerned. If required, the teachers, school staff and persons concerned may make related enquiries to the CTCs in advance in order to ensure completion of the COVID-19 tests once every two weeks.

- 3 -

teaching / non-teaching staff), if having received a dose of vaccination between 1 June and 30 September this year, will enjoy the same arrangements. For teachers or school staff concerned who have already been vaccinated on or before 31 May this year, the arrangements of “vaccination leave” are still valid. For the related principles and arrangements, please refer to the letter dated 2 June 2021 (https://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/sch-admin/admin/about-sch/diseases- prevention/edb_20210602_eng.pdf).

We would like to reiterate that vaccination is a vital step to fight against the virus and the epidemic. We encourage schools to proactively participate, and appeal once again to teachers and school staff, students and parents to get vaccinated to protect themselves, their families, and the Hong Kong community as a whole.

For enquiries, please contact your respective Senior School Development Officers / Senior Services Officers.

Yours sincerely,

（Dr Verena LAU）

for Secretary for Education

Annex Education Bureau

Secondary Schools, Primary Schools, Special Schools, Schools offering Non-Local Curriculum, Kindergartens and Kindergarten-cum-Child Care Centres in Hong Kong

Community Testing Centres¹ – Test Registration Form

Notes:

(1)

(2)

(3)

via the Community Testing Centre - Booking System

(www.communitytest.gov.hk/en/). Those who do not make an appointment have to pay for the testing service ($240).

(4)

(5)

Personal Information of the Test Taker (to be completed by schools)

School Name:

School Telephone Number : School Registration Number : Test Taker Name:

(must be identical to the name on Hong Kong Identity Card (HKID Card)/Passport) HKID Card No./Passport No.:

Date of Testing: 31 August 2021 until further notice by the EDB

1 List of Community Testing Centres - www.communitytest.gov.hk/en/

2 Schools should only accept medical certificates namely “Medically Not Suitable for COVID-19 Vaccination” issued by registered medical practitioners registered in Hong Kong to verify that the teachers or school staff concerned cannot receive all types of COVID-19 vaccines available. Schools can refer to

https://www.coronavirus.gov.hk/eng/cap599FG_forms.html for the template of a medical certificate.

School Chop